Shrirang Swarge

Parth M.N.

Sharmila Joshi

Editor

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When the farmers’ march began in Nashik on March 6, at the forefront was 60-year old Rukmabai Bendkule from
Dondegaon village in Dindori taluka, dancing robustly with a red flag in hand. Many
thousands of other women farmers walked in the march to Mumbai, across 180
kilometres, some without  chappals in the harsh heat, some with children and
grandchildren who could not be left behind. (See <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/from-farm-and-forest-long-march-to-mumbai">From farm and forest: Long March to Mumbai</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/long-march-blistered-feet-unbroken-spirit">Long March: Blistered feet, unbroken spirit</a>)

Adivasi women farmers from Nashik, Palghar, Dahanu, Ahmednagar and other
districts, along with women farmers from Marathwada and Vidarbha, were at the morcha in
large numbers.  Adivasi women cultivators
are almost always from families with very small landholdings, so most of them
also work as agricultural labourers on others’ farms. By participating in the
week-long march, all of them lost a fourth of their modest monthly income. 

“Most of the work in agriculture (sowing,
transplantation, harvesting, threshing, crop transportation from field to home,
food processing and also dairying) is done by women,”
points out P. Sainath, founder editor of the People’s Archive of Rural India. “But – against the legal position – we deny women ownership rights in land and do not
accept them as farmers.”   

The march, organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Kisan Sabha, brought farmers,
both women and men, onto the streets to demand their rights, including the implementation
of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which will give them ownership of the farmland
they have been tilling for decades. (See <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/after-the-march-the-aftermath">After the March, the aftermath...</a>)

We profile some of the women cultivators here.

Also see <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/i-am-a-farmer-i-walk-this-long-journey">&#39;I am a farmer, I walk this long journey&#39;</a> and <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/albums/from-fields-of-despair---a-march-with-hope">From fields of despair – a march with hope </a>

They run the farm, they made the March

விளைவிக்கிறார்கள்: போராடுகிறார்கள்

କୃଷି ଶ୍ରମିକଙ୍କ ପଦଯାତ୍ରା

জমি-খামারের কর্ত্রী, লং মার্চের নেত্রী

खेती करने वालों ने मार्च निकाला

کھیتی کرنے والوں نے مارچ نکالا

त्या जमीन कसतात, मोर्चाही त्यांचाच

Mumbai

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They run the farm, they made the March

They are up there amongst the hardest-working farmers anywhere. They’re down there amongst the poorest farmers – Adivasi women, who were at the March 6-12 march from Nashik to Mumbai in large numbers

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